Machine for use in finishing shoes.



F. W. BLANCHARD.

MACHINE FOR USE IN FINISHING SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. 1914.

1,214,266. Patented Jan. 30, 1917.

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F. W. BLANCHARD.

MACHINE FOR USE IN FINISHING SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. IBM.

1,214,266., Patented Jan. 30,1917.

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APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. 19M.

Patented Jan. 30, 1917.

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F. W. BLANCHARD.

MACHINEFOR USE IN FINISHING SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 19M.

Patented Jan. 30,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- WT/VESSESZ F. W. BLANCHARD.

MACHINE FOR USE IN FINISHING SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1914.

1,21%,266. Paten Jan. 30,

5 HTS-SHEET WVFNTFQ r TENT FRANK 7T. BLANCHAR'D, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETT$,ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATTERSON, NEVI' JERSEY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR USE IN FINISHING SHOES.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Jan. 30, 191%.

Application filed February 28, 1914. Serial No. 821,660.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK l/V. BLANCH- ARI), a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State ofltlassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Usein Finishing Shoes, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompr ying drawings, is a specification, like rel encecharacters on the drawings indleating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for performing the finishingoperations on the bottoms of boots and shoes.

More specifically it relates to automatic machines for trimming theheels of shoes.

While machines of a semi-automatic type were in very common use forperforming the trimming operation on heels about thirty years ago, thesemachines have, ex cent in rare instances, been displaced by machines inwhich the shoe is manipulated entirely by hand. This change has takenpla -e largely for the reason that the trimming operation can beperformed much more rapidly on the later machines, which do nct requirethe jacking of the shoe, than on the earlier machines, wh ch do requirethe jacking operation; and because the attachment of a templet orpattern plate to the top lift of the heel, which was always required inthe earlier machines, disfigured the top lift. whereas thisdisfigurement was avoided in the later machines. In the machines nowused almost universally the shoe is held for the trimming operation inthe hands of the workman and is positioned relati ely to the cutter byguides that engage pectively the counter and top lift of the the shoe,the top lift serving the purposes of the templet which formerly wasattached to the heel For the trimming operation. This hand trimm ngoperation, however, is one that requires great skill on the part of theworkman and consequently is comparatively expensive.

It is an important obiect of the present in ention to devise a heeltrimming machine which shall be so organized that it will perform thetrimming operations on the heel with entire satisfaction and without de-1 shoe and aid workman in manipulating facing any part of the shoe andyet shall not require any particular degree of skill on the part of theworkman in its opera-" tion.

More specifically the invention aims to devise a machine that willeffect automatically the relative movements of a heel and cutternecessary to cause the cutter to trim the entire heel edge from onebreast corner around the rear end of the heel to the opposite breastcorner while utilizing the counter and top lift of the shoe as guidesfor the trimming ope 'ation. By this arrangement it is proposed to guidethe shoe substantially as it is guided by hand and, therefore, to obtainat least as good results are obtained by hand while eliminating tl eskill that is necessary in order to guide the shoe properly by hand.

The invention has for further objects to devise a machine of thecharacter indicated which shall have provision for accommodating heelsof ditlerent sizes and styles, which shall permit the ready insertionand removal or the work, and which generally shall meet the requirementsessential for a practical heel trimming machine.

The manner in which it is proposed to accomplish these objects andeffect these results will be clearly understood from the followingdescription of one embodiment of the invention and the novel featureswill be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fctcrring now to the drawings: Figure 1 front elevation of a machineembodying this invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machineshown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine; Fig. 4 is ahorizontal sectional view on line 4il, Fig. '1, much of the mechanismbeing shown in plan; 5 is a cross sectional view on the line Fig. l, andFigs. 6 to 13 inclusive are diagrammatic views showing various positionsin which the shoe heel is moved relatively to the cutter and guiding deices for the trimming operation.

The machine shown in the drawings for the purpose of explaining thisinvention comprises a heel trimming machine of a very common commercialtype, extensively used "for trimming heels b y the hand method abovedescribed and known as the Ultimo,

heel trimming machine, and a work support constructed to manipulate theshoe with reference to the cutter of this machine in such a manner as tocause the cutter to trim the entire heel edge.

Substantially the regular commercial construction of the Ultima machineis shown in the drawings, the cutter head and counter guide of thismachine being constructed substantially in accordance with the BusellPatent, No. 961,752, granted June 21, 1910. Briefly stated thisconstruction comprises a post 2 on which is mounted a head 4 carryingthe stationary bearings for a horizontal shaft 6 (see Fig. 3) thatsupports the heel trimming cutter 8. The usual rand crease 7 guide orcounter guide 10 may be, and preferably is, used on this machine, a,spring 12 being provided to back up this guide and hold it yieldinglyagainst the outer end of the cutter. The regular top lift guidepreferably is replaced by a special guide indicated at 14, Fig. 3, whichconsists of an L- shaped plate having a guiding face curved to conformto the path of rotation of the cutter and a shank secured to theadjusting device with which the regular machine is equipped.

The work support comprises a novel shoe clamping mechanism and a novelconstruction of jack for supporting this mechanism. A bracket 16,forming part of the jack mechanism, has mounted thereon a member 18 thatcarries the shoe clamping devices; and the parts 16 and 18, togetherwithv a rigid bar 20 having a horizontal part clamped to the member 18and another part curved forwardly and downwardly and clamped to thebracket 16 by a bolt 22, form a yoke-like frame in which the shoe isheld by the clamping mechanism. In the vertical part of the bar 20 a toplift supporting plate 24 is mounted on ball bearings for rotation abouta horizontal axis. This plate serves as a support for the top lift ofthe heel of the shoe while it' is clamped. for the trimming operation.

The shoe clamping mechanism comprises a sleeve 26v which is mounted inhearings in the member 18 for rotative movement and also for slidingmovement in the direction of its axis. A; plunger 28 is mounted in thesleeve 26 for sliding movement toward and from the top lift supportingplate 24, both the sleeve and plunger being coaxial with the top liftplate. In the end of the plunger nearest the plate 24 a transversedovetailed groove is frrmcd to support adjustably a dove-tailed slidecarrying a spindle 30 that is adapted to enter the spindle socket of thelast on which the shoe to be trimmed is supported. Adjustment of thisspindle is effected by means of a screw 32 rot'ativel y mounted in theplunger 28' and having threaded engagement with the slide that The lun'er 28 carries an enlar ement 34 (see Fig. 3) which is grooved to,receive two extensions 36 projecting from the end of the sleeve 26 bywhich the plunger and sleeve are compelled to rotate together but maymove longitudinally with reference to each other. A coiled spring 33seated in a counterbore in the sleeve 26' bears against the enlargement34 and tends to force the plunger forward withv relation to the sleevetoward the top lift plate 24, this movement of the plunger being limitedby a stop collar 35 onv the opposite end of the plunger. Two side clamps37 and 38 are pivoted to opposite sides of the enlargement 34 and havetheir forward ends shaped to engage and bear upon opposite sides of thecounter of the shoe held by the clamping mechanism. In order to causethe members 37 and 38 to bear against and grip the shoe, they havesecured thereto heavy leaf springs 39 and 40, respectively, and the freeends of these springs are curved inwardly in position to engage oppositeinclined faces 41 and 42, respectively, of the end of the sleeve 26.Motion of these springs toward the side clamps is limited by short setscrews threaded through the respective springs.

The clamping movement of the sleeve 26 and plunger 28 is effected bymeans of a hand lever 44 fulcrumed on the member 18 and connected by asmall yoke-shaped link 46, Figs 2' and 3, to a collar 48 loosely mountedbetween two collars carried by the sleeve 26, a ball bearing preferablybeing interposed between the collar 48 and the forward collar of thesleeve to reduce the friction of the parts when the shoe is clamped inthe work support.

In order to hold the lever 44 in adjusted position a locking mechanismis provided. This mechanism comprises a stationary arm 49 bolted' to themember 18 and. curved to conform to the path of travel of a roll 50 thatis carried by the lever and runs on the inner surface of the arm. Thelever 44 is bifurcated and carries between its branches a friction pawl52 that is pivoted at such a distance from the arm 49 that its endengages the surface of the arm 49 at a point opposite the roll 50 whenit is swung into a position nearly parallel with the lever. It will beevident from an inspection of Fig. 3 that in this position the pawl willprevent any backward movement of the lever. The roll 50: prevents thearm 49 from springing away from the pawl. A releasing device 54, pivotedto the lever 44, is connected with the pawl" 52 and has a part extendingbeside the handle of the lever so that when the handle is grasped thereleasin device will be moved in such a direction to swing the pawl outof engagement with the arm 49. A spring 56 is arranged to act on thereleasing device to move it in the opposite direction, causing it tohold the friction pawl in contact with the stationary arm 49 and preventany backward movement of the lever 44.

From the construction just described it wi l be understood that when thelever M is swung toward the right, as seen in Fig. 8, the plunger 28will be moved toward the top lift plate 2 Assuming the shoe to be inposition to be clamped, the spindle 30 will be entered in the spindlesocket of the last and the motion of the plunger will be arrested by theengagement of the plunger end with the top or cone of the last. Afurther movement of the lever is toward the right will move the sleeve26 relatively to the plunger 28, thus compressing somewhat the spring 33and causing the inclined faces di and d2 of the sleeve to spread apartthe outer ends of the springs 39 and 4:0 and press the side clamps 37and S8 firmly against opposite sides of the shoe. The lever 4-; will beheld in this position by the locking mechanism just described. Thepressure of the plunger 28 on the last of the shoe can, of course, bevaried by the movement of the hand lever 44:; but for the purpose ofenabling a further adjustment of this pressure to be made, and moreparticularly to compensate for variations in height of the lasts, themember 18 is made in two parts connected by a clove-tailed joint so thatthe part carrying the sleeve 26 may be slidingly adjusted toward andfrom the top lift plate 24. This adjustment is effected by loosenin theclamp 5'? by which the bar 20 is secured to the member 18, and thenturning the adjusting screw 58 which extends loosely through one part ofthe member 18 but is threaded into the other part. A clamping screw 59and the clamp 57 secure the two parts in their adjusted position.

It is necessary in order to trim along the edges of the shoe heel toprovide means for moving the shoe toward and from the cutter and formoving it past the cutter and the guiding devices to enable the cutterto operate along the heel edge. For this purpose the shoe clampingmechanism is mounted on a jack which comprises a slide 60 1 i3 o mountedin a vertical slideway iormed 1n the frame 62 of the work support. Thisslide is moved in its slideway by means of a lever 6% (see Fig. 2)fulcrumed on a rock shaft 66 at the back of the machine and having itsforward end connected by a link 68 to the slide 60. This lever carries aroll 69 that rests upon a cam 70 secured fast on a .1 shaft 72, which isoperated by a mechanism that later will be described to cause it to makeone complete revolution and then stop. The rotation of the cam 70 ofcourse causes the lever 6% to swing up and down and consequently movesthe slide 60 up and down.

In the upper end of the slide 60 a horizontal slideway is formed inwhich is moun ed on ball bearings a slide 74;. This slide, as will beseen from inspection of Figs. 1 and 2, is mounted for movement in ahorizontal plane in a direction perpendicular to the direction of motionof the slide 60 and also perpendicular to the shaft 6. strong spring 7 6(see Fig. 4), connected at its forward end to the slide 74 and at itsrearward end to an adjustable bolt 78, threaded into I the slide 60,tends to pull the slide 7% backwardly toward the left as seen in 2, andto hold the slide against the end of a bolt that is adjustable in theslide 60 and serves as a stop to limit the rearward. l'l'lOVGlflGlt ofthe slide 74. Since the horizontal sl carries the bracket 16, previouslyie to on which the shoe clamping mechanism is mounted, the spring 7 6tends to carry this mechanism and the shoe held thereby toward thecutter 8. In order to move the slide 74: in its slideway, in oppositionto the spring 76, an upright lever 82 (see F 2) is secured on ahorizontal rock shaft 85% mounted in the back of ti e machine frame, andcarries at its lower end a roll that runs on the surface of a cam 86fast on the sha t 72. The upper portion of the lever 82 bea 5 against aroll 88 that is carried by the slide 7%. The rotative movement of thecam 66 acts on the lever 82 and roll 88 to move the slide 74: forwardlyagainst the ten ion the spring 7 6 and consequently to n e the shoeclamping mechanism away from the cutter, the timing of this movement bing determined by the shape and angina; tion of the cam 86 on the shaft7 In order to enable the workman to move the shoe quickly away from thecutter as. for instance, in case of accident, a hand lever 89 is securedfast on the rock shaft and is 01 extended out toward the front of themachine within convenient reach of he workman so that by depressing thislever the shaft 84 will. be rocked, moving the upper end of the lever 82forward and operating, through the slide 74 and bracket 16, to carry theshoe clamping mechanism and the shoe away from the cutter.

In many styles of shoes the angle of pitch of the heel is greater at itsrear end than at the sides. In trimming heels of such styles it isnecessary to tip the heel about an axis lying substantially in theguiding face of the top lift guide, in order to present the shoeproperly to the cutter and uiding devices as the pitch angle varies.this purpose the bracket 16 is provided extension 90, (see Figs. 4 and5) that is i' curved substantially in the arc of a circle and thehorizontal slide 74 is provided with a corresponding extension 91 whichsupports on ball bearings the extension 90. These extensions are curvedabout a vertical axis that is adapted to be brought substan tially intoalinement' with the guiding face of the top lift guide 14 during thetrimming operation and the shoe clamping mechanism is constructed tosupport the shoe with the edge of the top lift of the heel substantiallyin said axis. Consequently when the heel is presented to the cutter withits top lift in contact with the top lift guide 141, the bracket 16 andthe shoe clamping mechanism and shoe carried thereby are enabled toswing about the edge of the top lift of the heel, thus enabling the heelto adjust itself to the cutter in accordance with any variations inpitch at successive portions of the heel edge. A spring 92, connected tothe bracket 16 and to an adjustable bolt 94 secured in the back of theslide 74-, tends to swing the bracket 16 and the shoe clamping mechanismabout said axis in such a direction as to move the heel toward thecutter 8 and the counter of the heel toward the counter guard 10. Thisswinging motion is limited by an adjustable stop bolt 96 that isthreaded through a boss formed on the top of the slide 74, the forwardend of the bolt being positioned in the path of movement of the bracket16.

Slight variations in the sizes of the top lifts of the shoes beingtrimmed will not displace the edge of the top lift from the verticalaxis about which the shoe clamping mechanism swings sufficiently torequire any adjustment of the shoe in relation to said axis. Where suchan adjustment is required, however, it may be obtained by loosening thebolt 22 which passes through a slot in the foot of the bar 20 (see Figs.3 and 4), and

moving this bar relatively to the bracket 16.

The opposite end of the shoe clamping mechanism may be similarlyadjusted the member 18 for this purpose being mounted on a dove-tailedslide in the bracket 16 and an adjusting screw 98 being provided'to movethis slide back and forth with relation to the bracket. A clamping bolt100 serves to lock the member 18 in an adjusted position on the bracket16.

The mechanism above described is constructed to present the shoe'heel tothe cutter and to move the heel past the cutter sufliciently to causethe cutter to trim the sides of the heel. For the purpose of trimmingthe curved part of the heel at its rear end it is V necessary to turnthe heel relatively to the cutter' Mechanism. therefore," is providedfor rotating the shoe clamping devices to cause them to turn the heelthrough an angle of 180 degrees. This mechanism comprises a beveled gear102, Fig. 3,v mounted in the member 18 and splined to the sleeve 26,and. a corresponding gear 10& also mounted in said member 18 meshingwith the gear 102 and driven by a flexible shaft. This shaft consists ofa main part 106, a section 108 telescoping therewith, a universal joint110 by which the section 108 is connected to the gear 10% and anotheruniversal joint 112 connecting the part 106 to a bevel gear 114. Thisgear is mounted in a gear casing 116 Fig. 2, that is bolted to the sideof the vertical slide 60. The gear 114 meshes with a sector 118 which ispivoted on a shaft 120 carried by the casing 116. This sector carries aroll 122 that is positioned in a vertical cam track 124 formed in aplate 126 (see Figs. 1 and 2) which is bolted to the side of thestationary jack frame 62. When the slide 60 is raised by the mechanismabove described it will carry with it the casing 116 and the gears 11%and 118, thus causing the roll 122 to travel upwardly in its cam track124. When the roll travels along the curved part of its cam track itwill cause the sector 118 to swing in a clockwise direction about 7 itspivot 120, as seen in Fig. 2, which in turn will rotate the beveled gear114 and will cause the gears 104: and 102 to rotate the shoe clampingdevices and the shoe held thereby through an angle of 180 degrees. Uponthe downward movement of the slide 60 a reverse rotation of the shoeholding devices will be elfected.

In presenting the shoe heel to the cutter and guiding devices it isimportant to have the counter or rand crease guide 10 properlypositioned in the rand crease of the shoe preparatory to the trimmingoperation. This invention provides a novel mechanism for causing thisguide to be positioned automatically in the rand crease. This mechanismconsists of a rod 130, Fig. 3, mounted in the machine frame to slide ina direction parallel to the shaft 6, an arm 132 clamped adjustably tosaid rod and having a-pin and slot connection with the shank cf theguard 10' and-an operating lever 18% for the rod 130. This lever isfulcrumed on a stationary part of the machine frame at 136.

It has a curved lower end positioned in the i? placing the shoe in thework support for the trimming operation, the bolt 138 is pressed againstthe lower end of the lever 134 and causes this lever to hold the counterguide 10 away from the end of the cutter, as seen in i Fig. 3; As theslide 60 rises to present the heel of the shoe tothe cutter for thetrimming operation. the bolt 138 continues to opcrate through the lever134 to hold the counter guide away from the cutter until the 7 counterof the shoe is about to contact with the guide 10, when the bolt 138 ismoved out of contact with the lever 13%; whereupon the r forces thecounter guide back tothe cutter and causes it to rest upon theprojecting margin of the heel seat end of the sole. he guide is then inposition to guide the shoe for the trimming operation. 'lhis arrangementcauses the guide to find rand crease of the shoe and to be posithereinautomatically notwithstandvariations, within certain limits, of o -rse,in the height of the heels of the shoes sing trimmed.

"ihe driving mechanism for the shaft 72 consists of a worm gear 140,Fig. 2, fast on said shaft and meshing with a worm 142 and carryingapulley 1416 :"ist on a shaft lie: to which power is supplied from anyconvenient source. The bearing frame 148 for the shaft 1 A is mounted torock slightly about a pivot 150, to carry the Worm 142 into or out ofmesh with the gear 140. The movement of the bearing frame is controlledby a toggle 152 consisting of a link connected to the bottom of theframe 148 and a bell crank lever fulcrumed on the machine :trame at 15%and joined to the link 152 in such a maimer that the toggle is permittedto collapse in one direction and to move from such collapsed positioninto a position only slightly beyond its straightened position in theopposite direction. A. rod 156, pivoted to the arm of the bell cranklever opposite the arm connected to the link, is connected to a treadle158, a. spring 160 being provided to hold the treadle normally in araised position. it will be evident from an inspection of thisarrangement as shown in i. that when the treadle is depressed will be sraightened, thus raising rm ll? into mesh with the worm gear "the weightof the parts will tend hid the toggle in its straightened condition. 1 hthe worm in mesh with its gear. As above stated this mechanism isarranged it iause the shaft 72 to make one complete revolution an thenstop. For this purpose upright lever 162 is fulcrumed on the 1 themovable frame 1&8 with Yard e2 d of 'ipper end extending into the pathof a 1M- thl rojects from the side of the wheel Le 1n the lower end ofthis bolt is adjustably mounted with '11 position to strike the middlejoint :p re and move it in a direction ,e the toggle. Consequently whensnrikes the upper end of the lever s this lever to swing in a clockionabout its fulcrum, thus presst 1'66 against the toggle 152. lhis he te eto break or collapse and at. the

worm 142 to drop away from the The inertia of the parts stops any errotation of the shaft 72. The downmotion of the frame 1&8 carries theupper end of the lever 162 below the level of the pin 16 i, whereupon itis swung in a counter-clockwise direction about its fulcrum by means ofa spring 168. The upper end of the lever 162 is beveled so that when thetreadle 158 is again depressed to raise the frame 148 and start themachine into operation this beveled end of the lever will come up behindthe pin 1%, the contact of the lever with the pin merely causing thelever to swing still further in a counterclockwise direction until thepin is moved out of engagement with the lever. This lever is then inposition to be operated again supported are adjusted bodily by means ofthe adjusting screw 38 and bolt to so position these parts that, whenthe shoe is clamped in position for the trimming operation, the edge ofits top lift will be sul' stantially in the axis about and shoe clampingmechanism swing. The shoe is then placed in the machine, the spindle 30being positioned in the spindle socket of the last and the top lift ofthe sho resting on the top lift plate 2% and the le A is moved forwardto clamp the shoe securely in place in the manner previously described.T he shoe is initially positioned for this operation with its toepointing upwardly, as

indicated in Figs. 1 and 6, and the heel of T- the shoe at this timeoccupies substantially the location with reference to the cutter and.guiding devices in which it is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 6. Theshoe is thus positioned normally in substantially parab lel relation. tothe axis of the cutter on in other words, with the plane of the heelsubstantially perpendicular to the axis of the cutter. After the shoe isclamped in this manner in the work support, the workman depresses thetreadle 158 which operates through the mechanism hereinbefore describedto start the shaft 72 into rotation. This movement ojerates through thecam 70 and lever 6st to raise the slide 60; while, at the same time thecam 86 and lever 82 permit the spring 76 to move the slide 74:backwardly, these two motions combining to carry the heel of the shoeupwardly and inwardly to vard the cutter, as indicated in Fig. '4'.During the first part of this movement of the shoe the bolt 138 andlever 13% operate through the parts 130 and to hold the rand creaseguide 10 awav from the end of the cutter; but as the top lift is aboutwhich the bracket 16 to more into contact with the top lift guide 14,and as the counter of the shoe is about to engage the rand crease guide10, the lever 134 is released by the bolt 138, and the spring moves theguide toward the cutter until it strikes the projecting part of the randor heel seat end of the outsole of the shoe. A further inward movementof the shoe causes the edge of the guide to enter the rand crease of theshoe. Fig. 8 shows the relative positions of these parts as the guide 10is moving axially the cutter shaft 6 and toward the cutter while theshoe is moving transversely of the cutter shaft and toward the cutter.The timing of these operations and the position at which the guide 10will be engaged by the shoe can, of course, be varied bv the adjustmentof the bolt 13S and the adjustment of the part 132 on the rod 130.

As soon as the upper breast corner of the heel comes in contact with thecutter, the trimming operation be 'ins; and this operation usuallystarts before the edge of the top lift has come into contact with thetop lift guide 14 and before the edge of the rand crease guide 10 hassettled firmly into the rand crease of the shoe; but, as the cutter 8trims away the surplus material from'the side of the heel at the breastcorner, the springs 76 and 92 will operate through the shoe holdingdevices to pull the shoe laterally against the guides 14 and 10 so that,within a fraction of a second after the cutter has begun the trimmingoperation, the top lift and counter of the shoe will be properly seatedin contact with their respective guides and will thereafter be heldyieldingly in such contact by the springs 76 and 92 until the trimmingoperation has been completed. After the initial presentation of the shoeheel to the cutter and guiding devices, the jack continues to move theshoe upwardly past the cutter to enable the cutter to trim along theside of the heel, the cam 86 having at this time moved out of engagementwith its lever 82 so that it exerts no influence on the position of thehorizontal slide 74, the movements of travel of the roll 122 in its camtrack will be transmitted through the bevel gear 114 and the flexibleshaft 106 to the gears 104 and 102, causing them to rotate the shoeclamping mechanism and, consequently, to rotate the shoe held thereby.The side clamps 37 and 38 have a firm grip on the shoe and through themthe turningmovement of the shoe clamping mechanism is transmitted to theshoe. The turning movement imparted to the shoe in this manner ment ofthe shoe the point of operation of the' cutter is transferred from apart of the heel that ordinarily is nearly straight or has no pitch, toa point. at the rear end of the heel where usually there is more or lesspitch or slant forward of the heel edge. The springs 76 and 92, ofcourse, keep the top lift and counter of the shoe pressed firmly againstthe guiding surfaces of the respective guides 14 and 10, but this changein pitch causes the shoe to swing the shoe clamping mechanism and thebracket 16 that supports it about the axis of curvature of the part 90of the bracket and against the tension of the spring 92. This axis atthis time is in line with the guiding face of the top lift guide 14 andalso, of course, with the part of the edge of the top lift that bearsagainst this guiding face at this instant, so that the shoe actuallyswingson the edge of the top lift. The amount of this swing, of course,will vary with the amount of pitch of the heel. In Fig. 8, which showsthe relative positions of the cutter and shoe just before the trimmingoperation begins, it will be noted that the line ww, which indicates theaxis of the cutter, and the line yy which indicates the axis ofrevolution of the shoe, are substantially parallel; while in Fig. 11,which shows the cutter operating at the extreme rear end of the.

a considerable angle with the line lhis angle indicates the amount ofswing which it is necessary for the shoe to make in order to accommodatethe change in pitch between the breast corner and the rear end of theheel. The flexibility of the shaft 106 and its telescoping constructionenable it to transmit the rotative movements to the shoe clampingmechanism, while permitting this mechanism to swing in the manner justdescribed. The shoe clamping mechanism continues to turn and the jackcontinues to 7.

move upwardly until the entire curved portion of the heel is trimmedwhen the turning motion of the shoe clamp stops while the jack continuesto carry the shoe upwardly past the cutter until the'trimming operationis completed. At this time the parts assume substantially therelationship in which they are shown in Fig. 12. As the jack continuesto rise the cam 86 operates through the lever 82 to move the slide 7%forward and thus to carry the shoe away from the cutter intosubstantially the position in which it is shown in Fig. 13. Thereafterthe shoe is held away from the cutter by the cam 86 while the slide 60descends to substantially its initial position. During this downw rdmovement of the jack the shoe is rotated through an angle of 180 degreesin a direction opposite to its previous direction of rotation; so that,when the operation of the machine is completed, the shoe has returned(as shown in big. 1)

to the same position that it occupied before the trimming operationbegan. At this time the pin 16% on the Worm gear 1&0 operates the lever162 and causes it to stop the machine by collapsing the toggle 152. Fig.2 of the drawings shows the pin 164: as it comes into contact with thelever 16:2 for the purpose of stopping the machine.

'1 he shoe is released from the grip of the clamping mechanism byoperating the releasing device 54: and swinging the handle d4backwardly. The next shoe to be trimmed is then placed in the machineand the operations above described are repeated.

If it is desired to interrupt the trimming operation at any time, as forinstance in case of accident, this result may be eliected by depressingthe hand lever 89 which, through the mechanism previously described,will move the slide 7% forward against the tension of the spring 76,thus immediately moving the heel of the shoe being trimmed out ofcontact with the cutter. This control of the engagement of the heel withthe cutter is also of great convenience in changing the adjustment ofthe machine to acconmodate a style of heel different from thatpreviously trimmed, since it enables the workman to make most of theadjustments with the heel clamped in its operative position and then tocontrol the engagement of the heel with the cutter as the machine goesthrough its cycle of operations to test this adjustment.

After the heel trimming operation just described has been completed, therand is trimmed in the usual manner on any of the common randing or heelseat trimming cutters; or, if desired, the work support of thisinvention may be used in connection with a cutter head thatsimultaneously trims the heel and the rand or heel seat of the shoe.

It will be readily appreciated that this inventicn is applicable tomachines designed to perform other operations on the shoe than that oftrimming the heel, and that other tools for pertcrming finishingoperations on the heel might be substituted for the rotary cutter shownin the drawings without departing from the spirit of this inventirn. Itwill be understood, therefore, that while a cutter is specificallymentioned as the operating tool in the above description and in theclaims, this tool is referred to by way of example rather than limitation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent of he United States is:

1. in a heel rimming machine, the comoination with a heel trimmingcutter and a slidably mounted rand crease guide tieretor, of a worksupport, mechanism for relatively moving said support and cutter topresent the heel of a shoe mounted in said support to the action of saidcutter to cause the heel to be trimmed, and mechanism arranged tooperate in time relation to said relative movement of the support andthe cutter for relatively moving said guide and shoe preparatory to thetrimming operation to cause said guide to be positioned automatically inthe rand crease of the shoe notwithstanding variations in the height ofthe heels of the shoes being trimmed.

2. in a heel trimming machine, the combination with a heel trimmingcutter and a rand crease guide therefor confined against movementtransverse to the axis of the cutter, oi? a support, mecharsm for relatiel v moving said support and cutter to present the heel of a shoemcunted in said support to the action of said cutter to cause the heelto be trimmed, and mechanism arranged tor operation during said relativemovement cf the support and the cut er for relatively moving said guideand shoe in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of saidcutter to cause said guide to be positioned in the rand crease of theshoe preparatory to the trimming operation.

3. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a heel trimmingcutter and a rand crease guide therefor, oi work support, mechai'iismfor relatively moving said support and cutter to cause the cutter totrim the heel of a shoe mounted in said support. and mechanismcontrolled by the work support for n'ioving said guide relatively to theshoe to cause it to be positioned in the rand crease of the shoe prparatory to the trimming operation.

In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter, ashaft supporting said cutter, stationary hearings in which said shaft ismounted, and a rand crease guide for said cutter, of a work support,mechanism tor moving said support to present the heel or" a shoe mountedtherein to-said cutter for the trimming operation, and controllingmechanism tor said crease guide arranged to be operated by said movementof the work support to cause the guide to enter the rand crease er ashoe before the trimming operation is begun.

5. In a heel trimming machine. the combination with a heel trimmingcutter and a shoe support, of power operated mechater, and controllingmeans for enabling the workman to interrupt the engagement of the heeland cutter at any stage of the trimming operation. 7

6, In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter anda'shoe support, of power operated mechanism for moving said support topresent the heel to said cutter and to cause said cutter to trim theedge of the heel, and controlling means for said support arranged toenable the workman to move said support away from the-cutter at anystage of the trimming operation to interrupt the engagement of the heeland cutter.

7. In a heel trimming machine, the combination of a rotary cutter andguiding devices mounted adjacent to said cutter, of a shoe clampingmechanism, a jack supporting said mechanism, means for operating saidjack to present the heel supported by said clamping mechanism to saidcutter and guiding devices and to cause the cutter to trim the edge ofthe heel, means acting yieldingly through said jack to hold the heel incontact with said cutter and guiding devices, and controlling meansoperable by the workman for overcoming the action of said yielding meansat any stage of the trimming operation to move the heel away from thecutter.

8. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter, ashaft supporting said cutter, and stationary hearings for said shaft, ofa shoe clamping mechanism, a jack supporting said mechanism, poweroperated means for moving said jack to present the shoe held by saidclamping mechanism to said cutterand to move the shoe past the cutter tocause the cutter to trim the sides of the shoe heel, and mecha nismcontrolled by the jack acting through said clamping mechanism to turnthe shoe to cause the cutter to trim around the end of the heel.

9. In a' heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter, ofa shoe clamping mechanism, a jack supporting said mechanism, poweroperated means for moving said jack to carry the shoe held by saidclamping mechanism past the cutter to cause the cutter to trim along theedge of the heel, and means acting through said clamping mechanism andoperated by said movement of the jack to turn the shoe to cause thecutter to trim around the end of the heel.

10. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter, ofa shoe clamping mechanism, a jack supporting said mechanism, means formoving said jack to 11. In a heel trimming machine, the com- 7 binationwith a rotary cutter, of a shoe clamping mechanism, a jack supportingsaid mechanism, means for moving said jack to present the shoe held bysaid clamping mechanism to said cutter and to move the shoe past thecutter to cause the cutter to trim the sides of the heel, a telescopinguniversally-jointed shaft connected with said clamping mechanism to turnsaid mechanism, and means for rotating said shaft to cause said clampingmechanism to turn the shoe to enable the cutter to trim the rear end ofthe heel.

12. In a heel trimming machine, the combination' with a rotary cutter,of a shoe clamping mechanism, a jack supporting said mechanism, meansfor moving said jack to carry the shoe held by said clamping mechanismpast the cutter to cause the cutter to trim along the edge of the heel,a shaft for rotating said clamping mechanism to enable the cutter totrim around the end of the heel, and cam operated means for causing saidshaft to be rotated by said movement of the jack for the purposedescribed.

13. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter, ashaft supporting said cutter, and stationary bearings for said shaft, ofguiding devices comprising a toplift-engaging member mounted adjacent tosaid cutter, a shoe support, means acting on said support to move theheel held thereby past the cutter to cause the heel to bination with arotary cutter, a shaft supporting said cutter, and stationary bearingsfor said shaft, of a shoe support arranged initially to present the heelof the shoe laterally to the cutter, means acting through said supportto move the heel of the shoe mounted therein bodily past the cutter andto turn the shoe to cause said cutter to trim the en tire heel edge,means acting yieldingly through said support to hold the heel in contactwith said cutter, and means acting automatically to overcome the actionof said yielding means to move the heel away from the cutter after thetrimming operation has been completed.

15. In a heel trimming machine, the coms with the edge of its topliftsubstantiallv i bination with a rotary cutter and a toplift guide forsaid cutter, of a shoe support arranged to enable the shoe to swingduring the trimming operation about an axis substantially in line withthe guiding face of said toplift guide to enable the heel to be adjustedto the cutter in accordance variations in the pitch of the heel, said ssupport being constructed to support a sac said axis, mechani m actingthrough shoe support to move the shoe to cause t cutter to trim from onebreast corner arou the end to the opposite reast corner, an means actingyieldingly through said shoe support to swing the heel about axis towardsaid cutter.

16. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter anda topliit guide therefor, of a shoe clamping mechanism, a jack in whichsaid mechanism is mounted to enable the shoe to swing during thetrimming operation about an axis sultstantially in line with the guidingface oi said toplift guide, said mechanism being constructed to supporta shoe with the edge of its toplift substantially in said axis, saidjack supporting said mechanism for movement toward and from said cutter,and yielding means acting through said jack to move said shoe bodilytoward said cutterand to swing said shoe about said axis toward saidcutter.

17 In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter anda toplift guide therefor, of a shoe clamping mechanism, and a jack inwhich said mechanism is mounted for movement toward and from said cutterand to enable the shoe to swing during the trimming operation about anaxis substantially in line with the guiding face of said toplift guide,said clamping mechanism being constructed to support a shoe with theedge of its toplii't substantially in said axis and being adjustabletransversely of said axis to accommodate heels of different widths.

18. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter anda toplift guide therefor, of a work support comprising a shoe clamp andmechanism supporting said clamp for movement in a direction to presentthe heel to said cutter and in an opposite direction to move the heelaway from said cutter after the trimming operation has been completed,said supporting mechanism comprising means for enabling the clamp tomove toward and from said cutter in a di rection transverse to thedirection of said presenting movement, and also to swing about an axissubstantially in line with the guiding face of said toplift guide.

19. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter, atoplift guide therefor and a horizontal shaft supporting ation about avertical axis substantially in line with the guiding face of saidtoplitt guide, a shoe clamp supported by said bracket to rotate abo t ahorizontal axis and arranged to support a shoe with the edge of thetoplii t subsdantially in said ver tical axis, and mechai for operatingsaid slides and clamp to present the heel to the cu ter and to cause thecutter to trim the heel edge from one breast corner around the end tothe opposi 1e breast corner.

20. In a heel trimming machine, the comth a rotary cutter, of a shoesupising means to hold a shoe for naming operation, and mechanismnotlllg through said support to move the hoe to cause the cutter to trimthe heel edge on one breast corner around the end to he opposite breastcorner, said support be- Ms m c nstructed to hold the shoe normally in1r substantiallj-J parallel with the 'd cutter, but anged to enable L toswing yieldingly to accommodate pitch of the heel.

heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter, or" a shoeclamping mechanism, said clamping mechanism having means to grip thecounter oi the shoe at opposite sides, a jack rotatably supporting saidmechanism, means for moving said jaclr to carry the shoe held by saidmechanism past the cutter to cause the cutter to trim along the edge ofthe heel, and means operating through said clamping mechanism to turnthe shoe to cause said cutter to trim around the end of the heel.

22. lln a heel trimming n achine, the combination with a rotary cutter.or" work supporting mechanism for holding the shoe for the operation ofsaid cutter on the shoe heel, said mechanism comprising a support forthe tread face of the heel, a plunger arranged to bear on the cone or"the last in the shoe being trimmed to clamp the heel against saidsupport, side clamps arranged to bear on opposite sides of the counterof said shoe, operating means for said plunger and clamps, and mechanismfor supporting said plunger and clamps for rotative movement about theaXis of said plunger.

23. In heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter, of awork supporting mechanism for holding the shoe for the operation of saidcutter on the shoe heel, said mechanism comprising a support for thetread face of the heel, a plunger arranged to bear on the cone of thelast in the shoe being trimmed to clamp the heel of the shoe againstsaid support, two side clamps pivotally connected to said plunger andarranged to bear against opposite sides of the counter of the shoe, andmeans for yieldingly torc-ing said plunger toward said support and forapplying pressure yieldingly to saidside clamps.

24-. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a rotary cutter,of a shoe supporting mechanism for holding the shoe for the heeltrimming operation comprising a support for the tread face of the heel,a plunger arranged to bear on the cone of the last in the shoe beingtrimmed to press said last toward said support, and side clampsconstructed to be operated by the movement of the plunger toward saidsupport to grip opposite sides of the shoe.

25. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a heel trimmingcutter and a slidably mounted rand crease guide, of a Wor: supportmovable to carry a shoe into position to cause the heel of the shoe tobe trimmed by said cutter, and means arranged to be operated in timerelation to said movement of the support for relatively moving the guideand the shoe to cause the guide to enter the rand crease of the shoe.

26. In a heel trimming machine, the combination with a heel trimmingcutter and a rand crease guide, of a work support movable to carry ashoe into position to cause the heel of the shoe to be trimmed by saidcutter, and means controlled by said move ment of the shoe support formoving the rand crease guide relatively to the shoe to a distance fromthe end of the cutter, and

means for moving said guide toward the cutter as the shoe is broughtintopositlon to be trimmed.

28. In a heel trimming machine, the com bination with a heel trimmingcutter and a rand crease guide, of a work support movable to carry ashoe into position to cause the heel of the shoe to be trimmed by saidcutter, connections between said support and the rand crease guide forpositioning said guide when idle at a distance from the end of thecutter, and yielding means for moving the guide toward the cutter tocause it to enter the rand crease of the shoe as the shoe is broughtinto position to be trimmed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANK WVBLANCHARD. Witnesses:

JO N H. MCCREADY, NELsoN B. Tool).

fiopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Gommi ssioner of Eatenta. Washington, D. G.

